09/20/2012

Guest blog written by Iraq Veteran Saif Khan. He serves as the Founder &
CEO of Khanections, LLC. and is a
recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Saif is a member of Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, American Legion and a life member of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars.

I had the privilege to join eight fellow veterans on a
hiking trip organized by the Sierra Club Mission Outdoors with partnership with
Extreme Outdoor Survey (EIS).
The trip in Glacier National Park this past
August was an expedition through Glacier
National Park to study climate change and learn about the environment. Most of our gear was provided to us through
sponsorships from The North Face and Black Diamond including our hiking
boots. The Sierra Club provided all the
food we would need for the entire trip.
All of us split the responsibility to carry essentials and food for the
entire group in our backpacks; no more daily luxuries of a new pair of
underwear every morning.

This was my first time hiking at Glacier National Park. The trip brought back memories of the last time
I had hiked long distances with fellow service members. It was during my Army training at Ft. Leonard
Wood, MO and then in the Kuwaiti desert acclimatizing to the weather before
entering Iraq in 2004. We marched quite
a few miles with a heavy backpacks and our weapons back then. Although, different terrain, I felt the same
as I was climbing the peaks of Glacier National Park with our group of veterans
with backpacks. However, I was glad to
substitute the weapon for a trekking pole and felt no threat of being shot at
or any danger from IED’s. We only had to
worry about bears and we all carried cans of bear repellent just incase. I had a chance to experience and enjoy the
beautiful America I fought for and helped protect when I was deployed overseas.

After returning home from the combat zone in 2005, my main
focus was to get back into school, graduate and look for a job or internship. I had never had a chance to take a trip like
this with fellow service members while not on military orders, to experience
and enjoy our beautiful country, until now.
When a service member comes back home from deployment, like me, they are
usually caught up in the routine of transitioning back to civilian life,
getting back to their job or trying to find a new one. Once they transition back and start working, they
spend a majority of their time, going to work and spending time with family on
weekends. Most veterans never get a
chance to re-connect and travel to experience and appreciate the land they
fought and help protect. This trip to Glacier National Park allowed me to
experience and see how beautiful our country was and made me realize that,
while we fought to preserve our freedoms while fighting the enemies of America,
we also fought to preserve this beautiful land and the environment we enjoy.

It was a great opportunity to connect with other veterans
one on one, sharing our deployment and combat stories with each other, away
from cell phones and computers as we hiked to the glaciers. We got to know each other pretty well after
spending a week hiking and camping. We
had a chance to learn about climate change and the alarming rate at which the
glaciers were melting at the national park.
Award winning photographer Jim Balog joined us on the trip as well as Conrad Anker, one of the world’s leading
climbers.

We had a chance to see photographs of the glaciers from
previous years and how much they had receded.
I was disappointed to find out that these glaciers might not exist in 20
years. It made me realize that we need
to start focusing on our environment and needed to do a better job protecting
our outdoors so future generations of Americans can continue to enjoy our
land.

It took me a day to break in my boots and getting my muscles
used to the Glacier National Park terrain.
I was lucky to learn climbing techniques from Conrad Anker. I really got
a chance to experience the camaraderie and fraternity we share as veterans on
the first day of the trip when at one point my right knee hurt so much that I
was unable to raise my leg and take long steps.
We were on a 14-mile trail and I was not used to climbing uphill for
more than two miles. Fellow veterans
helped take some of the load off by helping carrying my heavy backpack for a few
miles. That night I camped with another
veteran, Nick Watson, who stayed back as my battle buddy while the rest of the
group moved on to another campsite in the morning. I stayed back because the new campsite was at
an elevation of about 6,500 feet, through very treacherous terrain and we were
not sure if I could make it up there with my knee pain. After taking painkillers and a day to
recover at the campsite, I was ready to go the next day and my knee felt great.

I had never hiked through such difficult terrain
before. After hiking for a mile and
half, there was no more trail. We had to
make our own trail through waterfalls, boulders and glaciers. We kept on going while drinking plenty of
water to stay hydrated and refilling our water bottles at waterfalls and
glaciers. After hiking for about five
hours, the new campsite was within our view.
Conrad Anker, Major John Turner and Stacy Bare spotted us and rushed to
our location. Conrad took my backpack
and gave me a high five and carried it for the final stretch. They were very excited to see us and the rest
of the group was pretty surprised as they didn’t expect to see us and cheered
us on as we approached the campsite. I
thanked all the fellow veterans who helped me carry my pack the day before and
my battle buddy Nick who had stayed back at the other campsite and helped me
navigate through the rough terrain. It
brought back combat memories. It
reminded me of the military creed where we don’t leave anyone behind whether
they are injured, captured or dead.

I would highly recommend trips such as this one, hosted by
the Sierra Club Mission Outdoors for fellow veterans. It was one of the greatest experiences I have
ever had. Not only did I have a chance
to experience our great outdoors, I had a chance to make some good friends who
share the same values and experiences as me while learning about climate change
and our environment. This is a trip I
will never forget.

Saif Khan is an Iraq
Veteran. He serves as the Founder &
CEO of Khanections, LLC. He is a
recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. He is a member of Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America, American Legion and a life member of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars.

This is third in a series of blog postings about the Climate Reconnaisance Team's visit to Glacier National Park. Cathleen Ephgrave, the author, served in Iraq.

I am not a climber. I do not often stray
from the beaten path. I like toilets, showers, and other first world amenities.
I had not given much thought to climate change. But spending a week in the
backcountry of Glacier National Park with the Sierra Club’s Mission Outdoors Climate
Reconnaissance Team changed my outlook in many ways (For starters, I have a
much greater appreciation for toilets and showers.).

I visited Glacier National Park in 1997
with my family. As a 14 year old, seeing glaciers for the first time, was a
neat experience. Going back 15 years later was eye opening. Jim Balog provided
our group with a wealth of information about climate change and its effects on
the environment. Overlooking Grinnell Glacier, we viewed pictures of the
glacier from the 1800s through present day. The change, in a relatively short
time period, was astonishing. This trip has made me much more conscious of the
far-reaching impacts of climate change. There is an often used proverb, “We do
not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.” For
future generations to prosper, I believe climate change must be taken seriously
and I have learned that everyone can play a role in safeguarding our planet.

Prior to this trip, my method of
transportation up mountains had always been via ski lifts. I had no idea what
crampons and ice axes were or why they would be necessary. Thanks to ice climbing
lessons from Conrad Anker, I was able to figure it all out and summit Blackfoot
Mountain. The climb was physically challenging but incredibly rewarding. The
view from the top was stunning. My body was covered in bruises by the time we
left the Park but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

I am extremely grateful to have been given
such a unique opportunity to discover the outdoors. Sharing this experience
with a group of fellow veterans made it even more amazing. I have been out of
the Marine Corps for three years now. While I still keep in touch with many
people I served with, I rarely find myself amongst a group that I can truly
relate with. Through shared and similar military experiences, veterans tend to
have a common understanding and that was certainly the case with this group.

Many thanks to the Sierra Club Mission
Outdoors, Veterans Expeditions, Jim Balog, Conrad Anker, and everyone else who
made this trip so memorable. The outpouring of support was unbelievable. This
was a wonderful opportunity and a truly unforgettable experience.

09/19/2012

After spending the better half of last week bickering over whether
or not to support veterans, the GOP just killed the Veterans
Jobs Corps Act of 2012. The bill would have increased hiring and job
training for veterans over the next five years, with a focus on jobs restoring
and protecting our public lands.

Actually, the bill won the majority of US Senate votes. Fifty-eight
senators (including five Republicans) voted in favor of extending job
opportunities to veterans. Unfortunately, procedural rules in the Senate required
sixty votes to move this bill forward.

If any two issues exist, that should break the
partisan divide and unite us as a nation, they are support for veterans and
protecting our natural heritage. The Veterans Jobs Corps, a
top priority for the Obama Administration, was detailed in the President’s
budget recommendations to Congress earlier this year. The bill would have
increased skills training and job placement for veterans, primarily those who
have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, while at the same time start to whittle
down backlogged maintenance projects overwhelming our nation’s public lands. According to the bill’s sponsor, Senator Bill
Nelson (D-FL), the National Park Service alone has deferred maintenance
totaling over $11 billion. The Veterans Jobs Corps would also increase
employment among our returning service members as police, firefighters and
first responders. Experts say the $1 billion bill would have paid for itself in
ten years.

While the Veterans Jobs Corps may not have led to world
peace, or even brought work to the 720,000 unemployed veterans across our
nation, it would have been a big step in the right direction. The bill was
supported by groups like the American Legion and the Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America. It’s also supported by the Sierra Club.

Creating employment opportunities on our public lands, where
veterans not only earn a paycheck, but benefit from the healing nature of
nature, is something we should all be able to get behind. Stacy Bare, an Iraq
veteran himself (and the Director of Sierra Club’s Mission
Outdoors program) said “I am deeply disappointed that politics has gotten
in the way of supporting veterans. This legislation would have eased the
transition of our service men and women coming home by placing them in
positions where the skills they learned in combat and the military can easily
translate into continued service to our Nation.”

In his 9/11
Huffington Post piece, Bare also discusses how the outdoors helped with his
return from war, “it was this sense of a second chance at life, a new mission
in the outdoors and in the countryside I defended, which allowed me to come
home and not just survive, but also thrive.”

09/18/2012

In August I traveled
across the country from Washington, DC, to Washington State for our first
Outings Leader Training
workshop coordinated through Mission Outdoors’ Military Families and Veterans Initiative. It was my first time in the state and I was
taken aback by the beauty of Seattle and the surrounding area. As we traveled
north toward the Cascades I was only more impressed. The jagged peaks of the
mountains quickly rose around us, inviting us to hike and climb. The fresh air
and miles of trees reminded me of how much I love wild places. On we drove to
the North Cascade’s Environmental Learning Center, which sits on the banks of Diablo Lake. It
was an impressive facility and a wonderful place to call home for the weekend.

Participants filtered
in throughout the evening and soon we started to get to know each other by
playing a typical ice breaker. From there, trainings continued throughout the
weekend and covered topics such as trip planning, group management,
interpersonal leadership, and leave no trace ethics. Everyone shared their own
insight and brought different experiences to the table. By the end of the
weekend we all knew each other a lot better and had learned or brushed up on
the cornerstones of leadership and the importance and challenge of planning a
successful and safe outing. We practiced planning different trips and worked through
difficult group management and medical scenarios.

Some of the most inspiring participants over the weekend were our veterans and military families. Betsy
Reed Schultz’s son, Captain Joseph William Schultz, was killed in Afghanistan
on May 29, 2011, after serving two tours in Iraq. After going through a hardship
no mother should have to face, Betsy decided to make a difference in the lives
of other families of the fallen. She established a non-profit named in honor of
her son called the Captain Joseph House Foundation. The foundation will provide a respite/retreat opportunity for families to
heal and rebuild, and will offer a scholarship program to assist children of
the Fallen with post-high school educational expenses. Betsy and her
friends, Special Forces, Green Beret Captain Joe Borden, who served in the Army for 20 years, and Alda Siebrands, who was a
service member in the Army and Coast Guard, attended the training as preparation to lead
hikes and other wilderness experiences for the family members that come and stay at
the house as a retreat.

Betsy’s story opened
my eyes to the brave sacrifice of the men and women in uniform, but also of
those they leave behind at home as well. I am proud to be a part of the work
the Sierra Club and Mission Outdoors does to support our service members and
their families.

One of the other
inspiring moments of the weekend occurred when everyone shared how they first
got connected to the outdoors and why they wanted to lead trips. Many of us had
vastly different stories. Some grew up with nature all around them and loved
nature from a young age. Others were older when they discovered that the
outdoors could be more than mosquitos, humidity, and some hard ground to call a
bed. Still others had grown up in cities and only experienced nature on rare
influential trips with family.

Our reasons for
wanting to connect others to the outdoors were similarly varied: Some of us
wanted to connect people to the outdoors to heal wounds from losing loved ones
in war, others to inspire people to protect an important place from pollution
and development. Some were interested in connecting kids to the outdoors and
some wanted to lead international adventures. Still others just wanted to get
out, do what they love and share a common adventure. The great opportunity I
see in volunteering with the Club is that all of these activities are possible.
Our outings programs are expanding. We want to be running more hiking trips,
more climbing and mountaineering trips, more skiing and kayaking. The bottom
line is that we want to get more people outside. Outings have been a part of
the Sierra Club since 1901 and connecting people to the outdoors has inspired
some great environmental victories for us in the past. I’m excited to see what this group of
leaders will accomplish with their new skills.

Receiving my
Certificate of Completion drove the experience home for me. I’ve been a guide
for two years now, but haven’t guided in almost three months. I’m ready
and excited to start guiding trips for the Sierra Club. See our calendar for upcoming trainings in Colorado and North Carolina or
find out when your local chapter is holding their next training. You
won’t regret it.

This is a guest blog by former Sierra Clubber, Isabel Long. It originally appeared here.

I remember with nostalgia the picnics with my family in my dear country of origin, Chile, in South America. The picnic lunch always began by making the sandwiches followed by boiling eggs which are a classic in Chilean’s picnic culture. My parents were not the outdoorsy type, but nonetheless we all enjoyed our time in nature, with the ever-present majestic Andes Mountains surrounding us. Now in the States, every time I bring my little son to the beautiful Washington & Old Dominion trail by our house memories of past picnics come to me when I see families, mostly Hispanic, picnicking next to the stream.

I think it’s not a cliché that we, Latinos, are attached to our families and that the meals we share are special events of communion among our loved ones. In this sense, picnics are an example that with the same love and passion for nature we are closer to the “social outdoors experience” than the “solitude hike” portrayed by the influential American conservationist, John Muir.

As Hispanics, many of us share an indigenous cultural heritage which values the connection to our origins in Mother Earth, la Pachamama, commonly depicted in indigenous Andean culture. This is a value that I want to pass on to my son. Mother Earth provides for us, therefore it is our responsibility to relate to her in sustainable ways. Nature gives us much more which is of importance for a healthy child, the value of simplicity, interconnectivity of environments, and overall, nature also provides us with beauty to our spirit. In a world bombarded with material “needs”, overrated individualism and overly produced “beauty,” I strongly believe that time in nature will be translated to positive emotions, fun memories and interesting knowledge that I can pass on to my dear son. It would be Pachamama’s heritage to him, passed through his mother to stay with him for years to come.

About the author: Isabel Long is native from Chile. She works for the Bureau of Land Management- Eastern States at the Department of the Interior. She is the co-founder of BLM-Eastern States Diverse Youth Outings Project in partnership with the Sierra Club, the National Coalition on Climate Change (NLCCC), The National Hispanic Environmental Council (NHEC), and the Cesar Chavez Charter School in Washington D.C.

09/12/2012

"A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope to be free" - Zorba

It seems as though a little madness could very well be good for you. Consider for a moment the brilliance and ingenuity sparked by some of the world’s most influential individuals--Michelangelo, Einstein, Gandhi, Frida Kahlo; certainly, their unconventional thinking and daring action have served humanity well.

And yet, all too often, we are regrettably too timid, too uncertain or too complacent to follow our passion and challenge what is.

With the recent publication of our latest FedEx Global Citizenship Report, it only seems appropriate that we revisit the accomplishments of John Muir, a founding father of the American environmental movement. Muir’s legacy, launched over a century ago, continues to serve as an important source of inspiration for today’s citizens, business leaders and communities at large.

But, who exactly was John Muir? And what can FedEx learn from him?

John Muir, a Scottish born advocate and US naturalized citizen, became a leading American environmental pioneer of the twentieth century.

If you’ve ever set foot in a US National Park or enjoyed peering at a classic Ansel Adams photo of Yosemite, then you most likely owe John Muir a heartfelt thank you.

Like many of us, John Muir’s life initially followed traditional lines; he lived a traditional childhood upbringing, first in Scotland and later in the US. And by the age of 22, he had enrolled at the University of Wisconsin.

Yet deep within Muir lived a profound yearning he simply could not quell.

By 1867, John Muir’s life took a decisive turn; he abandoned his daily routine to pursue a life in communion with nature, “I will follow my instincts, and be myself for good or ill.” John Muir wandered much of the United States; he uncovered Indiana to Florida by foot, ventured across the Panama Canal and journeyed through Alaska exploring the wild in solitary delight. It was Yosemite Valley however that captured a special place in his heart.

Through sheer resilience and relentless dedication, John Muir emerged as a public champion of environmental issues. Founding the Sierra Club in 1892, Muir touched the consciousness of American citizens across all walks of life including former US President Teddy Roosevelt. In fact, the American President was reportedly so captivated by Muir’s knowledge and wisdom that on one occasion he even snubbed political elites to camp with John Muir at Yosemite.

John Muir stands today as an icon of bravery and principle; a man readily recognized for planting the first seeds of the environmental preservation movement into American soil. There is certainly much to learn from this man and the philosophy he lived by.

In the spirit of John Muir’s accomplishments and in light of the publication of our latest Global Citizenship Report, I hope that we can draw inspiration from Muir’s commitment and lifetime of achievements. And I hope and trust we will continue to execute comprehensive sustainability plans that raise the bar high across the corporation in line with the enduring legacy we wish to create as employees, as a global business leader, and as responsible citizens.

09/11/2012

Even though I was on active duty from 2000-04, the Army saw
fit to keep me in the rear with the gear, giving me a concession prize for a
deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina for the winter of 03-04. I was shattered. This
was my generation’s war and I wanted to play my part before it was all over. I
thought we had 18 months, two years at best in each country. When I took my
uniform off in 2004, despite our recent invasion in Iraq, and on going trials
in Afghanistan, I assumed the wars would be over soon and I had missed out on
the defining moment of my generation.

It was with a strange sense of relief that at the end of
2005 I got recalled from the Individual Ready Reserve to go serve in Iraq.
Coming home in 2007, I struggled with what seems to be an all to common host of
reintegration, post-traumatic stress, and depression related issues for
veterans. It was ultimately the physical land that I defended; specifically the
Western mountain ranges, deserts, and rivers that gave me a sense of coming
home, healing, and semblance of reintegration in to America.

It was this sense of a second chance at life, a new mission
in the outdoors and in the countryside I defended, which allowed me to come
home and not just survive, but also thrive. In an effort to ensure other
veterans could have the same experience, and to call attention to the value of
our great outdoor places in this country, fellow veteran Nick Watson and I
launched our first 9/11 Climb up Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park in
2010 with eight other veterans.

Last year, eight veterans made the summit of the Grand
Teton. Our first summit team capped the mountain 10 years to the minute United
Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower at 9:03 Eastern / 7:03
Mountain time. It was an amazing experience and this year, six organizations,
supporting four teams will mountains in the North Cascades, Grand Tetons, San
Juans, and Presidentials from the Pacific to Eastern time zones. The Sierra
Club’s Mission Outdoors, Veterans Expeditions, Paradox Sports, Big City Mountaineers,
Sportainability and Telluride Adaptive Sports will all be taking veterans to
the top of mountains in a model of cooperation and collaboration to serve and
support our military community. We truly are one this day.

On this 9/11, you can join us by taking some time to reflect
on what makes us America the Beautiful and why it is worth defending. Ask
yourself what you can do, what we can all do, to not just reach back and find
the unity we felt in the days following September 11th, but how in
the pursuit of standing on tops of mountains, running down rivers, or just
standing in the wild places and parks of our cities, states, and nation, we can
build a more perfect unity for generations to come.

09/07/2012

The Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club has been leading conservation outings on Mattawoman Creek for a long time. This weekend’s trip was special for me, however, because it marked my first official outing with the Sierra Club!

On Saturday, August 18th, forty of us gathered for fun, relaxation, and a great day on the water. As we paddled, our leaders, Edward Joell and Rebecca Turner, told us about the history of the creek and pointed out the local flora and fauna. We learned of the importance of submerged aquatic vegetation and saw the rare American Lotus in one of the few areas it grows within the state. We also spotted Great Egrets, Great-Blue Heron, and an Osprey, among other birds. With the sun warming my skin and a light breeze keeping me refreshed, it was hard not to feel peaceful.

Our guides taught us about how the creek once supported an active fishery and how it is still referred to
as the most productive tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. At one time the creek was dredged for gravel and we saw a beaver that had built its home into the leftover structures. After returning to a picnic lunch, leaders of the campaign, Claudia Friedetzky and Bonnie Bick, told us of the proposed development of the area and how it would impact the Mattawoman. If the 2006 Comprehensive Plan for development is implemented, it could irreversibly damage the water quality and fragile ecosystem that the Mattawoman currently provides to Charles County and ruin this special creek. After spending a day on the Mattawoman, everyone eagerly signed petitions to protect the area.

It was fun to see the diverse group of people who got out on the creek and their enthusiasm for the outdoors. Some had never kayaked before and some brought their own boats from home. Children, teens, and adults all shared a day of fun and conservation on the water. We enjoyed our time on the Mattawoman and felt a connection to protecting this special place.

09/06/2012

It's that time again. While parents are jumping for joy, many kids are dreading the first day of school and what it portends -- the end of summer. Across the country, school bells sound and students are settling in to what is increasingly becoming a sedentary and indoor learning environment.

I would be lying if I told you that the summer vacation was reserved for playing outdoors. Today's kids are growing up in an environment very different from that of the generations preceding them. While kids spend more time outdoors during the summer than they do throughout the school year, they are still more likely to be surfing the web, than surfing the waves. For more than 50 hours a week, youth explore virtual worlds that exist only inside computers, cell phones and fill in the blank with your kid's favorite electronic gadget.

So how can we ensure that kids have adequate opportunities to play and learn outdoors during the school day? Initiatives to green schoolyards with native habitats, natural play areas and gardens are springing up across the country. And now some of them are beginning to get some recognition thanks to the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools awards program. Safe Routes to Schools programs are helping communities make walking and biking to and from school more accessible.

The No Child Left Inside Act, if passed, would establish incentives for more schools to develop environmental education and outdoor learning curriculum. And, states, there is no need for you to wait for federal legislation to get started. Maryland went ahead and became the first state in the nation to develop an environmentally literacy standard, ensuring a foundation in environmental education as a prerequisite to high school graduation.

I am proud to report that my outfit is making some strides, too. Sierra Club's Mission Outdoors programhas expanded its reach, with the establishment of three new volunteer-led outings groups working with schools and community groups to get more kids outdoors, bringing the total to 52 groups across the country. We also recently helped to pass a Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights in New Mexico, the first of many steps we will take to ensure kids in New Mexico, and across the country, have the opportunity and encouragement to get outdoors.

Got Kids? Let me leave you with some tips to keep your family active and outdoors into the school year.

1. Walk your kids to school in the morning or home in the afternoon.

2. Take it a step further, and get involved with (or start your own) Safe Routes to School program at your kid's school.

3. Join your local PTA and work with the Association to make sure recess and field trips don't get cut out of your kid's curriculum. Host a fundraiser to raise money for that school trip.

4. Establish a green hour for your family and get outdoors together before dinner each day. Plant a garden, take a walk in a local park or go for a family bike ride.

And if the kids aren't interested in going on that family camping trip, just show them this awesome video of Modern Family star Nolan Gould on a Sierra Club outing to the Grand Canyon. That might inspire them!